The Emerald Coil: An Against the Cult of the Reptile God Novel
About this audiobook
Orlane was dying. Once a thriving community nestled beside the life-giving Realstream, a beacon of hardy frontier spirit on the edge of the wilds between Gran March and Keoland, the village now suffocated under a shroud of fear. Trade caravans vanished from the roads. Doors that once stood open in welcome were now barred tight. Familiar faces turned strange, their eyes holding an unnerving emptiness, their voices silenced by a dread no one dared name. Fields lay fallow despite the rich earth, and whispers grew wilder with each retelling – tales of disappearances, of monstrous things moving in the night, of a creeping rot that stole souls.
Into this shadowed land comes a disparate band of adventurers, drawn by the unsettling rumors and a sense perhaps, that inaction is a luxury the borderlands cannot afford. Kendrick, the earnest fighter burdened by the weight of leadership; Magnus Stonehand, the gruff dwarf whose axe speaks louder than his words; Maidel, the observant elf seeking understanding amidst the growing darkness; Wendelaine, the compassionate cleric whose faith demands she stand against the encroaching evil; Ruskin Featherfoot, the resourceful halfling whose light fingers and sharp wit might just be needed; and Ballard, the pragmatic ranger whose instincts scream that something is fundamentally wrong with the land itself.
Their search for answers begins in Orlane’s hostile streets, where the suspicious Constable enforces a brittle order with the help of unnerving strangers, and fearful villagers offer only cryptic warnings or terrified silence. They uncover hints of a hidden power, centered around the once-holy Temple on the hill and the decaying Golden Grain Inn, a place where folk enter whole and emerge… lesser. Allies are few – cautious elves working in shadow, a wise, eccentric hermit dwelling in an ancient grove – but the evidence mounts: an insidious cult has taken root, spreading its influence like a spiritual plague, enforced by monstrous servants that crawl from the nearby swamps.
To save Orlane, the heroes must follow the trail of corruption to its source. Their quest leads them south, through the perpetual twilight of the Dim Forest, where unseen dangers lurk beneath ancient boughs, and into the treacherous expanse of the Rushmoors, a fetid mire teeming with foul creatures and hidden perils. Deep beneath the swamp, in a network of damp tunnels and echoing caverns, lies the heart of the darkness – the lair of a creature of ancient myth, a spirit naga of immense power and chilling intellect, who demands worship as the Reptile God.
Now, surrounded by fanatics, monsters, and the cloying aura of primordial evil, the adventurers must marshal their courage, steel their wills, and face Explictica Defilus in her profane sanctum. Can they withstand the serpent’s hypnotic gaze? Can they break the chains of enchantment that bind Orlane’s stolen souls? Their steel and spirit are all that stand between a community’s survival and its utter consumption by the coils of the Emerald God. The Emerald Coil is an epic tale of adventure, courage, and the desperate fight to reclaim the light from an ancient, encroaching darkness.
The Emerald Coil is unofficial Fan Content inspired by the classic Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) module N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
This isn't Dragonlance, or Eberron, or even Forgotten Realms. This is classic Greyhawk, the first published setting for DnD and created by Gary Gygax himself.
About the author
For Kimbertos Skotti, it all started with graph paper, oddly shaped dice, and friends gathered around a table, collectively battling imaginary monsters. A lifelong devotee of tabletop roleplaying games, especially the venerable classics like Dungeons & Dragons, Skotti believes the most powerful stories are often the ones forged collaboratively in the crucible of shared adventure. He sees novels like The Emerald Coil as a way to capture the magic of those sessions – the suspense of exploring a dangerous dungeon, the camaraderie of the adventuring party, the chilling reveal of the hidden evil, and the triumph of overcoming impossible odds.
The Emerald Coil is a direct homage to one of the foundational adventures that captivated Skotti years ago, N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God. He sought to translate the module's core tension, memorable encounters, and creeping dread into a narrative format, giving depth and voice to the heroes and villains confined within its pages. He aims to evoke the feeling of being at the table, making choices, facing consequences, and ultimately, striving against the darkness.
Kimbertos still rolls dice whenever possible, often finding inspiration for his characters and plots in the unexpected twists and turns of a game night. He believes that the core elements of heroic fantasy – courage, sacrifice, the struggle against overwhelming evil, and the bonds of fellowship – resonate deeply precisely because they echo the collaborative storytelling inherent in roleplaying games. He hopes The Emerald Coil brings readers the same sense of thrilling adventure and shared experience that first sparked his own imagination.
